I say they are correct. China, as USSR before it, is ruled by a Marxist-Leninist party practicing democratic centralism, meaning they are not liberal democracies by definition. From China's (and USSR) perspective, they are practicing dictatorship of the proletariat, while western "democracies" are in fact dictatorships of the bourgeoisie.
Once you get the basic terms straight and reach the agreement that China and other socialist states never claimed to have the same form of government as the Western democracies, you can start discussing which system of government gives it's people actual power.
I say they are correct. China, as USSR before it, is ruled by a Marxist-Leninist party practicing democratic centralism, meaning they are not liberal democracies by definition. From China's (and USSR) perspective, they are practicing dictatorship of the proletariat, while western "democracies" are in fact dictatorships of the bourgeoisie.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democratic_centralism
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liberal_democracy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_proletariat
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dictatorship_of_the_bourgeoisie
Once you get the basic terms straight and reach the agreement that China and other socialist states never claimed to have the same form of government as the Western democracies, you can start discussing which system of government gives it's people actual power.